When the last vendor packs up under the Mercado pavilion at noon on Saturday, Oct. 31, who will be setting up those same stalls next May? As of mid-October 2026, the answer may depend more on a commercial kitchen on Fourth Avenue than on the market.
The 2026 Pasco Farmers Market season was announced for May 9 through Oct. 31, running Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at the Mercado pavilion in Peanuts Park, 426 W. Lewis St. The City of Pasco runs the market right now. In June the city asked outside organizations to bid on running it starting in 2027, along with the Pasco Specialty Kitchen at 110 S. 4th Ave. At its Oct. 5 meeting, the council held off on choosing anyone until it gets further into the 2027–28 budget.
So Halloween is the final Saturday of a season the city ran itself, and it lands on one of the busiest mornings downtown Pasco sees all fall.
Halloween Morning at the Mercado, in Order
The 5th annual Dia de los Muertos Fund Run starts at the Farmers Mercado on the same Saturday the market wraps up. Here's how the morning stacks up according to the race listing on Race Roster and the market schedule:
- 7 a.m. Face painting begins at the start area.
- 8 a.m. The kids run starts, and the market opens for its final Saturday of the season.
- 8:30 a.m. Half marathon start.
- 9:10 a.m. The 5K and 10K head out together.
- Noon. The market closes for 2026.
You can still sign up on race day. Entry is $35 for the 5K, $45 for the 10K and $55 for the half marathon through Oct. 21. After that it goes up to $45, $55 and $75, and none of those prices include a shirt. If you want a shirt, pick it up at Cafe Con Arte in downtown Pasco on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m., or get it on race day. NBC Right Now has described Cafe Con Arte as a coffee shop that also gives local artists a place to show rotating work.
The money goes to scholarships for students in Benton and Franklin counties through an endowment at Columbia Basin College. Organizers say the run has raised more than $55,000 since it began.
While you're there, look for the bronze statue of Noburo "Peanuts" Fukuda, the community figure the park is named for. It was unveiled July 25, so this is its first fall in the park.
The Market Is the Inexpensive Part of the Decision
The city got four proposals. One covered just the Farmers Market, and the other three bid on the market and the kitchen together.
On the market side, the pick was fairly clear. A selection committee gave the Benton Franklin Fair Association and 3 Eyed Fish partnership 85 out of 90 points. Davis Consulting 509 Prime LLC came in at 60, the Pasco Chamber of Commerce at 53 and the Latin Business Association at 38, according to the Tri-City Herald. The Herald also reported that the top-ranked partnership's proposal would cost Pasco $90,000 a year with no additional costs.
Both partners would come in with market experience. Visit Tri-Cities lists 3 Eyed Fish Farmers' Market as a Sunday market at 1970 Keene Road, open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June through September. The partnership's proposal describes the Benton Franklin Fair Association as a Pasco-based nonprofit that puts on the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo, a five-day event that draws more than 120,000 people and coordinates hundreds of vendors.
City staff found that the market bids were "generally comparable" to what Pasco would spend to keep running the market itself, according to the council agenda report. The market was put up for bid alongside the kitchen, though, and the kitchen's numbers look very different.
The Kitchen on Fourth Avenue Is Where the Numbers Get Harder
The Pasco Specialty Kitchen has been a certified commercial kitchen incubator since 2003. It has three kitchen zones, called the Main, Center and Scullery kitchens, plus pass-through windows where clients sell straight to people on the sidewalk. KAPP-KVEW reported that it serves about 21 active client businesses and has room for 5 to 8 more. Pasco's first parklet sits right outside, giving customers a place to sit and eat what they buy from kitchen vendors.
City staff estimate that keeping the kitchen in-house with permanent staff would cost $329,518.40 in 2027 and $350,976.72 in 2028. Labor makes up $222,608.40 of the 2027 figure, and utilities add $48,900. Here's how the outside proposals compare, as the Herald reported them:
| Proposer | What they bid on | Annual cost to Pasco | Extra terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Franklin Fair Association / 3 Eyed Fish | Market only | $90,000 | No additional costs |
| Davis Consulting 509 Prime LLC | Market, kitchen, or both | $62,000–$72,000 market; $148,000–$172,000 kitchen; $175,000 both | City covers any gap between expenses and revenue |
| Latin Business Association | Both | $420,000 | Up to $25,000 transition allowance; city keeps paying utilities, maintenance and major equipment |
| Pasco Chamber of Commerce | Both | $660,000 | Reimbursement of unforeseen costs plus 15% contingency on approved extraordinary expenses |
According to staff, two of the three kitchen proposals would cost more than running it in-house. The third, from Davis, might save money, but its true cost can't be pinned down ahead of time. That's because the city would still owe a management fee and would also cover any gap between the kitchen's revenue and its expenses. Davis also scored highest for the kitchen, with 65 out of 90.
So the kitchen and the market came up for decision together, and the kitchen is where the open questions are.
Why the Two Programs Are Hard to Pull Apart
Because the market and the kitchen feed each other, deciding on one affects the other. KAPP-KVEW reported that the market draws about 50 vendors on a typical Saturday and gives startups from the Specialty Kitchen a place to test new products on real customers. The same report credits the two programs with helping launch Pie Sharks, Aub's Bananza Bread, Pepper Preppers and Angel Brook Ice Cream. Food businesses often start out at the kitchen's walk-up windows and move on to food carts or regular booths at the market.
Council members are now talking openly about giving up the idea of one operator for both. "Maybe there's somebody that is equipped to run a farmers market, but they may not be the best to equip a commercial kitchen," Councilmember Abel Campos said, as quoted by the Tri-City Herald. City staff said the original request already allowed separate operators.
Councilmember Leo Perales went further and suggested selling the kitchen building and its equipment so the city could exit entirely. KAPP-KVEW quoted him saying a lot of bidders "didn't realize the costs involved." In the same report, Councilmember Figueroa spoke up for the programs and their value to people starting food businesses. "These are folks that probably would have never gotten an opportunity to begin with, and they get one through this unique project," Figueroa said.
The Calendar After Halloween
Pasco's budget is what's driving the timing. NBC Right Now reported projected gaps of $12.5 million in 2027 and $16.5 million in 2028. Final budget approval is planned for the council's first regular meeting in December. The proposals stay valid while the decision is on hold, and the Herald reported the item is expected to come back to council later this fall.
According to the agenda report, the council has several options for each program, and it can pick a different one for the market and the kitchen:
- Contract with an outside operator
- Keep running it in-house
- Discontinue it
- Give staff some other direction, such as the kitchen sale Perales raised
All of that is likely to be settled after the Oct. 31 market closes, during months when the Mercado pavilion sits empty on Saturdays. If you've been meaning to make it to the Peanuts Park market, the last chance in 2026 is the Halloween morning that starts with face painting at 7 a.m. and ends at noon.
Gavin follows downtown Pasco closely, from what happens on Lewis Street on Saturday mornings to what the council decides about the Mercado and the kitchen. If you're thinking about how changes downtown fit into your own plans, Gavin Vargas can walk you through it. Work With Gavin.
